THE Red Arrows pilot whose aircraft was struck by a seagull during a display at the Rhyl Air Show has described the incident as the most serious he’s experienced in his career.
Squadron Leader Gregor Ogston (Red 6) was forced to make an emergency landing after the bird hit the plane while the display team were bringing the two-day show to a close on August 28.
Sqd Ldr Ogston, 36, was fortunately unharmed, but admitted the incident, which occurred while flying at roughly 100ft and 400mph, was “very disorientating”, and happened while preparing for a manoeuvre called “Boomerang”.
And while he added that bird strikes are not necessarily uncommon, having encountered two previously this year already, he said they were both “very minor in comparison” to the Rhyl incident.
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He said: “We were about halfway through the display. It had gone really well, and there was such a great reception and crowd at Rhyl.
“For the Boomerang manoeuvre, Red 7 was going to pass very close to me. I saw the seagull out of the corner of my eye just a fraction of a second before I hit it. The next few seconds were a blur.
“I instinctively closed my eyes and tried to duck my head, and then heard the bang of the bird hitting the aircraft.
“Then immediately, (there were) just incredible amounts of noise, which was the airflow passing over the cockpit, which had then disintegrated around me.
“It was very disorientating, with lots of bits of canopy, and parts of the bird, hitting me and my helmet, as well.
“I had had two (bird strikes) already this year, but very minor in comparison to what happened in Rhyl – what is uncommon is a bird strike of this significance, causing this much damage.
“I’ve been flying for 17 years, and it’s definitely the most serious incident I’ve experienced.”
Sqd Ldr Ogston, a flying instructor at RAF Valley on Anglesey prior to his first display season with the Red Arrows in 2019, also thanked his colleagues, and the air traffic control team and emergency services back at their base at Hawarden Airport, where he made a safe landing.
He is already back flying again, with the Red Arrows having since displayed at last weekend’s Bournemouth Air Festival.
Though, that too was not without its difficulties, as the Red Arrows suspended their first display after Red 6’s aircraft was giving irregular indications.
As a precaution, Red 6 returned to Bournemouth Airport, with the remaining team following afterwards.
The Red Arrows are due to perform at the Guernsey and Jersey International Air Displays today (September 8), before finishing off their UK display season at Causeway International Airshow, Northern Ireland and the Great North Run this weekend.
Displays in Bahrain are to then follow in November.
Sqd Ldr Ogston added: “Immediately after the bird strike, I felt really indebted to the team around me for their support, particularly Red 7, who came and shepherded me back to Hawarden Airport.
“Due to the amount of noise in my cockpit, he did the vast majority of communication with air traffic control, who were absolutely fantastic and cleared us through all of the airspace, and allowed me to do what I needed to do to get the aircraft back as safely as possible.
“When I touched down on the runway, the emergency crews were already waiting, and I required some assistance from the fire service to get out of the cockpit, who then quickly took me away for a thorough medical check.
“I can’t say enough thanks to Hawarden Airport, the air traffic control personnel, and the emergency services for their quick response and help.
“The aircraft are getting on a little bit now – they’re about 30 years old – but are maintained to such a high level by about 110 engineers who maintain them.
“We’re going to continue flying them until at least 2030.
“I was very keen to get back in the cockpit almost straight away. Since then, I’ve already flown about eight times.
“I’m very happy to be back flying again and looking forward to finishing the display season.”
Sqd Ldr Ogston also praised Rhyl Air Show, a hugely successful event which returned for the first time this year since the COVID-19 pandemic.
He added how he and the Red Arrows had enjoyed a “fantastic weekend” in North Wales prior to the bird strike.
He said: “Rhyl is a fantastic air show; it’s one that we really look forward to. There’s always a great enthusiastic crowd, and until the bird strike, we’d had a fantastic weekend.
“It’s a fantastic site for us to display at and enjoy as pilots putting on the show, and a lot of that goes to the great feedback we get from the people who attend the show and have a great time.
“We thrive off that feedback, and really enjoy seeing them have a great day out.”
The first half of the Red Arrows' display comprises synchronised, formation aerobatics, followed by a more dynamic second half.
Reds 1 to 5 form the front section of the team's formation, known as “Enid”, while Reds 6 to 9 make up the rear part.
Red 10, meanwhile, is the team’s supervisor, maintaining two-way radio contact with the team leader, and providing commentary.
Huge crowds gathered for both days of the Rhyl Air Show (August 27-28), which also saw displays from RAF Typhoon, the Calidus Autogyro, and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.
There were also demonstrations from the RAF military dogs.
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